Taiwan’s China Airlines converts eight Boeing 787-9 options

China Airlines has confirmed the conversion of eight Boeing 787-9 options, expanding its total order of this aircraft to 24.

Initial deliveries of the first batch, as part of the agreement made in August 2022, are scheduled to commence in 2025. The newly confirmed options are intended for delivery starting in 2026. China Airlines anticipates that all 24 aircraft will be incorporated into its fleet by the end of 2028. Additionally, the airline has the flexibility to convert some of the ordered aircraft into B787-10s if there is demand for it.

China Airlines currently operates 22 A330-300s deployed on short- and medium-haul routes within North-East and South-East Asia. These aircraft have an average age of 15.2 years and will be gradually replaced by the incoming 787-9s. Additionally, the airline operates ten 777-300ERs with an average age of 8 years, as well as fourteen A350-900s with an average age of 5.8 years.

Both China Airlines and its competitor, EVA Air, have faced pressure from the United States to procure Boeing aircraft. This pressure arises from an increasingly close informal alliance between Taiwan and the US, which aims to counter China’s influence. EVA Air currently operates four B787-9s and ten B787-10s, with additional orders for nine more B787-9s and six B787-10s.